By David Hegg
The past decade has been littered with changing views on patriotism. For some, it remains a devotion to love, support, and defend America, its people, and its interests. For others, it means quite the opposite, as in using whatever means necessary — including demeaning rhetoric and even violence — to tear down, obstruct, and replace whatever they believe restricts their personal views or freedoms.
I often hear the strident voice of those who see themselves as the heirs to the radicalism of the Founding Fathers who fomented massive rebellion through acts like the Boston Tea Party and the use of firearms on the Lexington Village Green and the Old North Bridge in Concord.
Of course, we cannot escape the fact our country was, in some ways, birthed in insurrection and rebellion, even as we argue that throwing tea into the sea while masquerading as Native Americans was appropriate.
However, the simple question of ethical patriotism is at issue today. How do we support, defend, and love our country and its people ethically? How do we live out a reasoned and profitable patriotism that never becomes dangerously fanatical, either in blind support or barbaric opposition? Here are some suggestions.
First, make sure you know all the pertinent facts concerning what is happening. Be an educated, informed patriot. And yes, the tsunami, the combined power of both broadcast and social media, makes it much more challenging to know the truth about people, positions, and problems. So, that means we need to make more effort to get the truth.
I fear too many of us will become outraged and take inappropriate action before investigating and finding the truth. Such rash behavior is ultimately unhelpful, potentially dangerous, and not patriotic.
Second, be flexible on what needs change or repair. Instead, remind yourself often of all our advantages daily because we live in America. And lest some reading downplay those advantages or consider they do not benefit them, let’s get real. Whatever you may think of our freedoms, educational opportunities, public safety officials, and first responders, you must admit we have all these and more! Having traveled to several countries, I can testify that returning to American soil is always a treat. Yes, we need to improve many things, but let’s not fail to count our blessings.
Third, refrain from letting pundits and politicians do your thinking for you. A two-minute commentary or breaking news sound bite only provides some of what you need.
Patriotism has always demanded diligent effort, rational thought, and righteous activity. Don’t let someone else tell you how to think, what to think, or who to love. Do the work, and then do what’s best.
Fourth, understand there has never been the perfect human politician, leader, or teacher. Some are always better than others and offer us a great resource. But, no one will ever live up to the divine expectations we too often place on temporal beings. We can always expect to be disappointed at some level, so we must never pin all our hopes and dreams on a person or party.
Patriotism is grounded in the idea that we, the people, are the source of the American spirit and always will be. How we think, live, love, and address our challenges as citizens has always been the power behind constructive change and progress, and today is no different.
At the core of ethical patriotism lies our need to be moral people. To be ethical people, we need to limit our thinking to the essential absolutes every society has held. For America, those absolutes were initially distilled from the Judeo-Christian worldview, and they provided the means for patriotism to be widespread, even among those who disagreed on specific points and policies.
As we look around our country today, we can see the erosion of traditional values is rapidly occurring. Yet, few would say we are better as a society. Has the new sexual freedom created stronger families? Has the erosion of civility made us a more united country? And has pushing God to the margins made us more honest, faithful, and truthful? The answers are obvious.
We need a return to real patriotism, where we put God before country and country before self. Maybe there’s still time, but the clock is ticking.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
